Understanding interfacial tension is important for production in many industries, such as the chemical, cosmetic, and automobile industries. Available technologies can be used to determine interfacial tension only under certain conditions. Previously, samples with high melting points, high viscosities, or samples with similar densities could not be tested.
Devices currently used to measure interfacial tension include drop tension meters (that determine interfacial tension from the shape of a droplet), spinning drop tension meters (that determine interfacial tension from the shape of a droplet under an imposed forcing), and Wilhelmy plate tension meters (that determine interfacial tension from a force exerted on a thin wet plate), which are not easily used in extreme environments. For example, the interfacial tensions of liquid metals particularly those with high melting points, are difficult to establish using the aforementioned tension meters.